One reason that God is distant is a problem with our priorities. Our approach to Christian life is that we want to fit God into our lives. He is more like an accessory. I meet young people pursuing their careers. They pursue the best grad schools and the highest paying jobs and they relocate and God is not an active part of the process. Their assumption is that if I am a Christian and I pray once in a while about my future, God’s will for my life will be determined by God opening and closing the right doors. That may be the case, but I offer another approach to Christian life.
Another approach which I believe to be more in line with God’s will for all believers is to surrender our lives into God’s hands. This means giving God a blank canvas, saying, “Lord, here is my life. You have the brush. Paint whatever you want with my life and I will follow you.” When the disciples heard the call of Jesus to follow, they dropped everything. That doesn’t mean that all of us have to quit our jobs and live in monasteries. But I do think as Christians, we have to question the path of life we are on and sincerely ask God, “Am I doing what you want me to be doing at this stage of my life?”
Sadly, many Christians had a plan before Christ. Then, they became Christian along the way, and their plan continued unaltered. It may be that God wanted you to stay the course and pursue what you were pursuing before Christ. But what if God wants you to do something completely different? Did you ever struggle with your value system, your parents’ expectations of what they think you should become, did you ever question your motives and desire for comfort, money and prestige?
In the gospel of John, Jesus often refers to it being not the right time. Jesus had a clear mission — to come and die for our sins — and with that, he lived deliberately. And this clear calling to fulfill God’s will in his life was accompanied by a sense of timing, knowing what he should be doing at each stage of his life.
God may have a purpose down the road, but maybe it is not the right time yet. Maybe God is working on your character before you are ready for some future work. Let’s continue to seek out God’s will for our lives in each stage and season of our lives.